Unsheathed

“My father is the prefectural overseer of the Blusher Prefecture, but we’re not a wealthy clan at all,” the scholar with the Liu surname replied in a trembling voice.

An exasperated look appeared on Xu Yuanxia’s face. “What kind of response is that? Do I look like some type of bandit or robber to you?!”

The scholar took a glance up at Xu Yuanxia, and he couldn’t help but think to himself that Xu Yuanxia couldn’t have looked more like a bandit in his eyes.

Xu Yuanxia didn’t intimidate the scholar any further as he suddenly turned to Yang Huang with a slightly concerned expression. “Brother Yang, is that old Daoist priest really going to take care of the illegitimate mountain god? I’m worried that he may spare the illegitimate mountain god as a way to get back at you.”

Yang Huang shook his head as he smiled and replied, “Seeing as Senior Aunt Fu was involved in this matter, Divine Edict Sect would be sure to keep close tabs on how this matter has been resolved. On top of that, all external disciples that are sent out of the sect for training have to undergo a final assessment that’s extremely strict and meticulous, so Zhao Liu won’t be able to just do whatever he pleases.”

Yang Huang’s smile then faded as he continued, “What I’m worried about right now is that the illegitimate mountain god could have some backers among the local authorities. Given Zhao Liu’s sneaky and conniving nature, I could easily see him discussing this matter with some high-ranking officials of the prefecture. On the surface, it would be a discussion, but in reality, they would be working together to hatch a scheme.

“If Zhao Liu managed to convince the imperial court and Ministry of Rites of Colorful Garment Nation to keep that illegal temple or even instate the illegitimate mountain god as an official one, then things could become very grim.

“The gods of the Five Mountains of Colorful Garment Nation can’t compare with those from larger nations, only possessing the cultivation base of a sixth tier Qi refiner, and they can even wield Sea Observation Tier power when in their own territory.

“That mountain god may be an illegitimate one, but he’s still managed to attain a godly body, and if Zhao Liu managed to convince the imperial court of Colorful Garment Nation to assign him as the official mountain god, then there’s a chance that he could attain Cave Abode Tier power. Any words of advice from an immortal from Divine Edict Sect would undoubtedly be taken very seriously by the emperor of Colorful Garment Nation.”

After hearing what Yang Huang had to say, Xu Yuanxia, Zhang Shanfeng, and Chen Ping’an turned to the scholar with the Liu surname in unison.

The scholar was looking completely befuddled. He had no idea what concepts like gods of the Five Mountains, illegitimate mountain gods, the Cave Abode Tier, and the Sea Observation Tier were. In the end, he said in a timid voice, “My father is only a fourth-rank prefectural overseer, I don’t think he’s ever even heard of things like mountain gods before, so he won’t be able to help at all.”

Xu Yuanxia smiled as he said, “Don’t worry, we’re not expecting your father to help in this matter, all we need to ensure is that he doesn’t do the opposite of helping. First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll accompany you back to the Rough Prefectural City to meet your father. At the very least, we have to get there before Zhao Liu does.

“I’m sure that once Zhao Liu sees me at the prefectural overseer’s office, he’ll know not to go through with any schemes that he could be plotting. If he does decide to go through with it anyway, he’ll have to worry about me going to Divine Edict Sect to report his actions, and you can bet that I’ll be doing just that! I’ll kick down the gate of the sect or do whatever it takes to attract the attention of the sect’s higher-ups and have them uphold justice!”

Yang Huang immediately rose to his feet and cupped his fist toward Xu Yuanxia in a grateful salute. “You have my thanks, Brother Xu.”

A peculiar look appeared on Xu Yuanxia’s face, and he took a sip of wine as he grumbled, “What do you mean by ‘Brother’ Xu? You’re so old that you could be my great-grandfather!”

Yang Huang burst into laughter as he replied, “Age is not something that can get in the way of friendship!”

Even Zhuo Jing began to chuckle to herself upon hearing this exchange. The scholar with the Liu surname had finally become a little more relaxed after having some wine to drink, only to immediately become as pale as a sheet once again upon hearing Zhuo Jing’s haunting laughter.

That night, Zhang Shanfeng had way too much to drink, while the scholar by the name of Liu Gaohua didn’t dare to drink to his heart’s content for fear of passing out and never waking up again. In the end, the four of them stayed in the same section of the estate, with Chen Ping’an and Zhang Shanfeng staying in adjacent rooms, while the scholar with the Liu surname became neighbors with Xu Yuanxia.

An uneventful night passed by.

Early in the morning, Zhang Shanfeng got out of bed and opened the door to find that Chen Ping’an was already practicing his walking meditation in the yard outside. Compared with back when they had first met, it seemed that his walking meditation was becoming slower and slower.

The four of them departed after having the breakfast prepared by the old woman. It was a bright and sunny day, and Yang Huang and Zhuo Jing were rather averse to being exposed to the sun, so the two of them waved farewell at everyone from the boudoir.

Xu Yuanxia yawned lazily as he looked up at the bright sun through narrowed eyes and remarked, “It’s a brand new day.”

Zhang Shanfeng was engaged in a spirited conversation with the scholar with the Liu surname about the customs and traditions of the Blusher Prefecture, and the latter was in far higher spirits after leaving the estate. It was as if he had suddenly sprung back to life, and he was eagerly sharing his knowledge with Zhang Shanfeng.

Upon making his way to the front gate, Chen Ping’an suddenly turned around and said to the old woman, “If you ever encounter any trouble, you can send a letter to Dragon Spring County, which is situated in the northernmost region of the Great Li Empire. Address the letter to a person called Wei Bo on Cloud Drape Mountain, and tell him that Brother Yang Huang is a friend of mine, and that I owe him a lot of wine.”

The old woman nodded in response with a smile on her face. She naturally wasn’t taking this seriously, but she didn’t turn Chen Ping’an down, either.

Some acts of kindness were like light rain falling into the sea. They didn’t make much of a difference, but there was no reason to refuse them.

Chen Ping’an extended a hand forward, offering seven or eight snowflake coins to the old woman as he said, “The Great Li Empire is really far away from Colorful Garment Nation, so you’ll need this money to post the letter.”

Yang Huang had already exhausted all of his wealth to build this estate, and as a result, the master and servant trio was forced to live an extremely frugal lifestyle, to the point that they had to brew their own wine, and all of the ingredients for the dishes that were cooked had been picked by the old woman from far away.

The old woman hesitated momentarily, but ultimately decided to accept the snowflake coins.

While it was true that sending a letter to the Great Li Empire at the northernmost tip of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent was going to cost a lot of money, it definitely didn’t require seven snowflake coins.

However, it was only a small handful of coins, and it was just the right amount, not too much and not too little. It felt like turning down the coins would’ve been a rather cold gesture and perhaps even a little rude, and even if she did accept the coins, it wasn’t like she would be owing him a huge favor.

With that in mind, a series of mixed emotions welled up in the old woman’s heart. Despite his young age, Chen Ping’an was already able to take such a considerate and nuanced approach when it came to treating others, and the old woman couldn’t help but wonder just how much hardship he had to endure to have made him so mature beyond his years.

Zhang Shanfeng beckoned to Chen Ping’an with a smile as he urged, “Come on, Chen Ping’an, it’s time to go.”

Chen Ping’an gave Zhang Shanfeng an affirmative response, then bade farewell to the old woman. After rushing away a few steps, however, he suddenly turned back to face the boudoir and yelled, “I read in a book that those who are connected by love will never be apart!”

Over at the boudoir, Yang Huang and Zhuo Jing exchanged a smile, and they felt as if all of the suffering that they had been forced to endure up to this point had been worth it.

Chen Ping’an continued to jog backward as he waved farewell to the old woman again. “The spring bamboo shoot and meat stir fry that you cooked last night was delicious! I’ll definitely be visiting again!”

The old woman stood at the entrance of the estate with a warm smile on her face, and she heaved a faint sigh at the sight of the departing Chen Ping’an.

————

As the group arrived at the manor of the Blusher Prefectural Overseer, he was in the process of attending to his daily duties in the official hall. Xu Yuanxia and Zhang Shanfeng were seated in the guest hall, in which the furnishings were quite simple, yet still elegant and refined.

The two were sipping on some tea that had brought to them by a maidservant, while Liu Gaohua led Chen Ping’an to his father’s study, doing so in a very sneaky fashion as Chen Ping’an had asked him for a geomancy map of the Blusher Prefecture, and it had to be one with an imperial court seal stamped on it.

Liu Gaohua didn’t know why Chen Ping’an had made such a request, but he thought back to how he had managed to leave the estate alive, and how he had not only witnessed an incarnated spirit but even sat down at the same table and shared a drink with her. As soon as this thought sprang into his mind, his heart was immediately filled with pride, and he agreed to help Chen Ping’an sneak out a geomancy map.

Chen Ping’an had given him 50 taels of silver for his troubles, and Liu Gaohua’s initial thought was to refuse as bringing money into the matter would be hurtful to their friendship. However, as soon as he saw the 50 taels of silver, he immediately changed his mind, thinking to himself that they most likely weren’t ever going to meet each other again anyway, so it didn’t really matter whether their friendship remained intact or not.

Liu Gaohua led Chen Ping’an to the study, sneaking around like the thief the entire time, and after closing the door, he rummaged through the chests and cabinets for a long while before finally pulling out an old scroll, which was an antiquated geomancy map of the Blusher Prefecture, but this one was only a backup copy.

When it came to geomancy maps that were drawn by the Ministry of Astronomy, there were always two official maps, one of which was hung up in the office of the local authorities, while the other was given to the local general for safekeeping purposes, and the backup copy was always left somewhere to gather dust.

After examining the map to confirm that it was what he was looking for, Chen Ping’an nodded as he declared, “This is it.”

He had spent 50 taels of silver to buy a very slim possibility.

Mr. Qi had once said to him that if he ever came across a map that he liked, then he could bring out his mountain and water seals and stamp them onto the map without the need for any ink paste

After asking Liu Gaohua where Yang Huang’s estate was situated on the map, he made up an excuse to get Liu Gaohua to go to the bookshelf and pick out a few travel journals. While Liu Gaohua’s back was turned, Chen Ping’an instantly pulled his mountain and water seals out of his pocket treasure.

The inscriptions on the seals had been personally carved out by Qi Jingchun, and the seals were crafted from the finest snake gall pebbles of Jewel Small World.

Chen Ping’an breathed onto the pair of seals momentarily, then pressed them down onto the spot where the estate was situated on the map.

However, nothing seemed to happen, and Chen Ping’an could only roll up the map before tucking it under his arm as he turned to Liu Gaohua and said, “Alright, let’s get out of here. If your father catches us, then you’ll have to deal with him on your own. I already paid you for this, so if you end up being beaten by your father, you’ll still have silver to spare after paying your medical bill.”

Liu Gaohua picked out a couple of books at random and tossed them at Chen Ping’an, following which the two of them left the study together.

Chen Ping’an heaved an internal sigh, thinking to himself that his actions had most likely been futile. Then again, he hadn’t harbored any high hopes that this would work anyway. How could he possibly reverse the fortune of an entire area spanning a radius of several hundred kilometers just by stamping a seal down onto a map? It wasn’t like he was a god.

However, there was one thing that Chen Ping’an had failed to take into account.

He was certainly no god himself, but the man who had bestowed those seals upon him had been a god among gods.

All of a sudden, all of the filth and sinister energies within a radius of several hundred kilometers receded, restoring the purity of the land.

The mountain god temple of the illegitimate mountain god instantly collapsed, while the illegitimate mountain god’s godly body was also destroyed.

As it turned out, Zhao Luan had indeed spared him, and he had even met with the illegitimate mountain god in secret to tell him how to proceed from here onward. The illegitimate mountain god had been ecstatic, thinking that his fortunes were about to be reversed, that he wasn’t just going to be a lowly illegitimate mountain god anymore. Instead, he was going to ascend to the position of a formal god with the assistance of an immortal from Divine Edict Sect.

Hence, right up to the instant that his godly body was destroyed, he still had no idea what had happened, and he was seated on his altar with a dazed expression as he faded into nothingness.

Meanwhile, Zhao Liu was departing from the area with his juniors, and he instantly sensed what had just taken place.

A stunned look appeared on his face.

Could it be that the Golden Boy personally intervened in this matter? It can’t be! Surely even the Golden Boy can’t influence the fortune of the land from so far away!

The other Divine Edict Sect juniors were feeling very concerned and uneasy in the wake of this unexpected turn of events, but the little boy had lowered his head to conceal the smile that had appeared on his face.

I fucking knew it! I knew that guy was an old bastard that had lived for centuries! He’s definitely the one that was responsible for all of this! Haha, once I get back to the sect, I’m definitely boasting to my master, telling him that I saw an immortal of the Upper Five Tiers!

Over at the boudoir, Yang Huang sprang onto the rooftop as quickly as he could, paying no heed to the scorching pain of sunlight on his skin. He looked around to find that the entire surrounding area was thriving with vitality, and that spiritual energy was converging from all directions. A stunned and ecstatic look appeared on his face.

As for Zhuo Jing, she had plunged straight through the roof, allowing her hideous body beneath her dress to be exposed under the light of the sun. She took a deep breath, and for the first time in 100 years, she inhaled a lungful of clean and fresh air that made her feel refreshed and reinvigorated.

Tears of excitement began to well up in Yang Huang’s eyes as he said, “A Sage must’ve intervened to help us! Perhaps Senior Aunt Fu’s appearance alerted a certain powerful figure of Divine Edict Sect to our situation, and they decided to perform this miracle for us out of the boundless kindness and generosity of their heart! In any case, this is a fantastic development. I didn’t even dare to dream that something like this would ever happen…”

Yang Huang’s voice began to choke up as he spoke, and he suddenly fell to his knees, kowtowing thrice in all four directions.

Zhuo Jing was unable to kneel, so she could only extend deep bows of gratitude.

The old woman also kowtowed to the heavens and the earth.

She had almost never touched any alcohol in her life, yet she was struck by the sudden urge to pour herself a bowl of wine. She didn’t enjoy the taste, but who cared? This was an occasion worthy of rapturous celebration, and it would be an injustice to the occasion not to have some wine.

With that in mind, she made her way into the corner of the kitchen, and with a bowl in one hand, she took the wine ladle with the other, extending it into an already opened jar of wine.

An instant later, she was rooted to the spot.

Why is there so little wine left?

Her brows furrowed slightly with befuddlement, then her skin began to crawl. She hurriedly set down the bowl and the ladle, then abruptly standing back upright as she murmured to herself, “How is this possible?”

She wiped away the sweat that had beaded up on her forehead, following which a smile suddenly appeared on her face as she poured out what little remained of the wine in the jar into her bowl.

After that, she made her way out of the kitchen and sat down onto a bench in the corridor, silently staring into the distance as she took some small sips of wine. For the first time in a long time, she felt a sense of peace and serenity.

On a day just as bright and sunny as this one, Chen Ping’an had rushed away with his wooden box on his back and a radiant smile on his face as he waved farewell to her.

There was a small red gourd strapped to his waist—a gourd, she now realized, filled to the brim with wine.

So he’s a young alcoholic Sword Immortal.

An amused smile appeared on the old woman’s face as she thought to herself, He’s such a fantastic young boy, the girl that he likes must be really exceptional as well.